Sibyl Creasey and Shirley Fuller have extracted
news articles from two old county newspapers, the Canton Herald
and the Wills Point Chronicle. These newspapers have been microfilmed
and are housed at the Van Zandt County Library of Genealogy and
Local History, located in the courthouse annex in Canton, for
the benefit of researchers. Copies of these articles are also
available by writing to the Van Zandt County Genealogical Society,
P.O. Box 1388, Canton, TX 75103. When requesting a copy, please
send a check or money order for $2 to cover cost of copying and
postage.

CANTON HERALD,
September 25, 1931

"The old Fiddlers Convention will
be held at the Grand Saline gymnasium on Friday night, September
25, according to Pat Davis, chairman of the organization. Not
only the string bands will be on hand, but players of the old
time fiddle music will be present to participate in a contest,
the winners to receive cash prizes from the Grand Saline Chamber
of Commerce. String bands and old fiddlers from any section of
the state are urged to attend. The program will be approximately
as follows, though places will be made on the schedule for other
bands and fiddlers who wish to enter: Bonnie Lunsford and his
band, Garden Valley; Mrs. McAlister and her band, Van; Owen Brothers
Bank, Wills Point; Will Hammond and his old time fiddlers, Lindale;
Donald Burges and his band, Providence; Davis String Band, Jones;
Mr. Chandler and his band, Ben Wheeler; and Rufe Bates and his
band, Grand Saline, also guitar solo. Those in Grand Saline in
charge of the arrangements are calling attention to the fact
that on Friday afternoon the Grand Saline Indians will play Canton
here in the first association football game. Football and fiddle-fans
can combine forces and have a full day on Friday of next week.

"Miss Fannie Hilliard, an employee
of the Perry Bros. store here has in her possession a treasured
article in the form of a newspaper printed in Van Zandt county
more than fifty years ago. It was a copy of the Canton Chronicle
and dated Saturday, December 6, 1779 (1889?). The copy of the
newspaper came to Miss Hilliard through her grandfather, Jason
Carroll, early settler in Van Zandt. Mr. Carroll who lived in
the Corinth community has been dead a number of years. Among
the ads displayed in the four-page sheet were many which are
familiar to present day Van Zandters. Dr. M.D. Luce, grandfather
of Jno. Luce, carried a card in the paper pointing out to his
readers the fact that his office was in his home on the Four
Mile Prairie.

"Canton in those days apparently furnished
more inspiration and remuneration to lawyers than it does today.
Cards of attorneys were numerous and included Kilgore and Kilgore,
McChester and Lively, J.G. Kearby, R.H. Allen, Jno. N. Evans,
Marion and Adams, Grooms and Burge, and J.G. Russell. Commercial
establishments listed I.E. Rose, Wills Point; G.W. Tull, Canton;
J.J. Utts, City Hospital, Gugenheims, and D.L. Riley. One Interesting
if True' ad appeared from Brooklyn, N.Y. and set out the fact
that a positive cure for consumption had been found. T.J. Towles
and A.W. Riley were editors of the publication.

"The death of W.W. Weldon, briefly
mentioned in last week's paper, removed one of Canton's pioneer
honored and highly respected citizens, at the age of 76 years,
6 months and 18 days, his death occurring at 7:20 a.m., Thursday
morning, Sept. 17, at the family home in Canton, after several
months of declining health. Funeral services for the deceased
was conducted the following day about the noon hour by Rev. W.W.
Slaughter, a Baptist minister, at the Old Bethel cemetery, several
miles southwest of Canton, a large crowd of longtime friends
and acquaintances attending the last rites, many bringing floral
offerings as tokens of their love and esteem of the departed.
The funeral was in charge of Foster Hilliard, Canton undertaker.
W.W. Weldon was born in Pye county, Ga., Feb. 29, 1855. He was
married in Van Zandt county to Miss Martha Martin Dec. 16, 1878,
there bing eight children born into the family, four surviving
and four having passed on before. Those surviving are the good
wife, two sons, Wilson and Marion, living south of Canton, and
two daughters, Mrs. Roy H. Evans of Handley, who was ill and
unable to attend the funeral, her husband and children being
present, and Mrs. O.N. Newburn of Jacksonville, who was also
unable to be present, her husband and children attending. The
deceased had been a familiar figure in Canton for many years,
and he will be sadly missed by all who knew him, all of whom
the paper joins in extending sincere sympathy to the bereaved
wife and children.

"LOCAL HAPPENINGS: Miss Marguerite
Rodgers spent Sunday in Wills Point with relatives and friends.
Mrs. Jno. E. Sides and Miss Ethel Lively visited in Dallas the
first of the week. Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Lester of Dallas visited
relatives and friends here last week-end. Mrs. Egbert Mann and
baby visited the former's mother in Fort Worth first of the week.
Mrs. W.W. Weldon is visiting her daughter, Mrs. O.N. Newburn
and family in Jacksonville. Mr. and Mrs. B.B. Corbin of Tyler
spent Sunday here with the latter's daughter, Mrs. Jas. K. Todd
and family. Miss Annie Massey returned last week from Houston
where she spent some time visiting relatives and friends. Walter
Sides of Dallas, erstwhile Canton citizen, was here Wednesday,
returning from Tyler, and met many old-time friends.

"Several Canton ladies attended the
zone meeting of the county Methodist missionary societies, which
was held with the Methodist ladies at Van Wednesday afternoon.
Mrs. J.W. Barnes, who has been making her home with her daughter,
Mrs. Donie Compton, for the past eight months, has been spending
several days in Edom with another daughter, Mrs. Walter Barnes,
and family. L.R. Seals of Los Angeles, California, his here visiting
his brother, County Agent W.D. Seals, and family. The visiting
brother is a native Texan, but has been residing in California
for the past several years, is single, and as far as known, fancy
free.'"